'We have come far, but the digital divide still exists'

India's smartphone market may be approaching a saturation point but there is still room for innovating products to grow, says Madhav Sheth, CEO of Ai+ Smartphone and founder of NxtQuantum Shift Technologies, in an interaction with TNIE's Rakesh Kumar. Excerpts:

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You recently launched a new smartphone brand, Ai+ smartphone, in a market already full of big players like Chinese brands, Apple, and Samsung. What made you decide to enter the market now? Do you think there's still space for a new brand?

India is the world's second-largest smartphone market with over 650 million users. But if you look at the reality, in the last decade, no Indian brand has really scaled. However, nearly 450 million people are still using feature phones, with around 50 million new 2G devices sold every year. That says a lot. We have come far, but the digital divide still exists. The Ai+ smartphone project started with a simple question: why can't India build and own its own technology stack? It was never meant to be just another phone brand. The market doesn't need more phones. It requires more innovative, more transparent, and more inclusive technology. There is room, but only for brands that want to create long-term value and solve real problems for users.

Ai+ smartphone was launched earlier this year. Who are you mainly targeting with this brand, and how has the response been so far?